Top 3 MLB No Runs First Inning (NRFI) Picks & Odds for Saturday, August 13 (2022)
Happy Saturday, everyone! We have a stacked 16-game schedule in Major League Baseball today. Action gets underway at 1:10 p.m. ET with the Braves looking for their second straight win over the Marlins. The divisional foes will play twice today, hence the extra game on the slate. Other notable matchups include a battle for first place in the N.L. Central between the Brewers and Cardinals, the slumping Yankees taking on the Red Sox at Fenway, and the red-hot Phillies squaring off against the Mets.
It’s a huge board today, but I’ve narrowed in on these three No Runs First Inning (NRFI) wagers for today’s action.
Odds Courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Detroit Tigers vs. Chicago White Sox
Chicago took last night’s series opener 2-0 thanks to a stellar outing from Michael Kopech and the White Sox bullpen. They’ll look for their second straight win tonight as they turn to Lucas Giolito to handle the starting pitching responsibilities. Detroit will counter with Matt Manning in this divisional clash scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET from Guaranteed Rate Field.
Manning has made just four starts this year due to suffering a shoulder injury back in April. The right-hander last pitched on Sunday and blanked the Rays over 7.0 innings of work. He surrendered just four hits and a trio of walks in the no-decision effort. Manning comes into tonight’s game at 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA, and 1.10 WHIP over 20.0 innings pitched.
Giolito hasn’t had his best stuff this season, but the right-hander has been solid as of late. He pitched on Sunday against the Rangers and limited them to one earned run on six hits and three walks over 5.0 innings. Giolito picked up the win and now sits at 8-6 on the year with a 4.91 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
Giolito has made two starts this month and owns a 2.70 ERA over 10.0 innings of work. He’s thrown well against the Tigers in his career, limiting them to 48-178 (.270) in head-to-head at-bats. That includes 6-33 (.182) from Miguel Cabrera and 0-3 (.000) from Riley Greene. As for Manning, he hasn’t faced Chicago this year but has held them to 9-46 (.196) in his young career. Jose Abreu is 1-5 (.200), Yoan Moncada is 1-6 (.167) and Luis Robert is 0-6 (.000). Let’s ride with NRFI in this one.
Bet: Tigers at White Sox NRFI (-130 via DraftKings)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals earned a 3-1 win last night and extended their divisional lead to 1.5 games over the Brewers in the Central. The Red Birds see Adam Wainwright take the ball tonight while the Crew counters with Corbin Burnes in this game scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET from Busch Stadium.
Burnes has been electric this season as he makes a run at his second straight Cy Young award. The right-hander comes in at 8-5 with a 2.45 ERA (6th) and 0.93 WHIP (4th) over 22 starts in 2022. Most recently, Burnes went 6.0 innings against the Reds and allowed just one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine.
Wainwright has been a stable arm for the Cardinals this season and comes in at 8-8 with a 3.42 ERA (31st) and 1.24 WHIP (45th) over 22 starts. The veteran right-hander took on the Yankees last time out and got tagged for six earned runs on eight hits and four walks over 4.0 innings. He took a no-decision in the 12-9 win over New York.
Despite the recent clunker from Waino, he’s been very dependable this year. He allowed just one earned run over the two prior starts, spanning 14.0 innings against the Cubs and Blue Jays. I like for him to bounce back this afternoon in a key divisional game. It’s also worth noting that Wainwright carries a 2.47 ERA at Busch Stadium this year, and opponents are hitting just .239 against him. With Burnes nowadays, you just expect that he’s going to turn in a quality start each time he toes the rubber. The righty has dominated St. Louis this season, posting a 0.00 ERA against them over 14.0 innings and limiting them to a .085 batting average. Let’s lock in NRFI in this game tonight.
Bet: Brewers at Cardinals NRFI (-135 via DraftKings)
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants
San Francisco improved to 55-57 after last night’s 5-3 victory in the series opener. Gabe Kepler gives Logan Webb the nod for tonight’s game while the Pirates opt for Tyler Beede. The first pitch in this N.L. showdown is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. ET from Oracle Park.
Beede has made 19 total appearances this year, with two of them being starts. The former Giant is 1-1 on the year with a 3.57 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 35.2 innings of work. Most recently, Beede went 3.2 scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks and gave up just two hits and a walk.
Webb’s putting together another great season as he continues establishing himself as the top man in San Francisco. The right-hander comes into tonight’s game at 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA (23rd) and 1.15 WHIP (30th) over 23 starts. Webb posted a quality start last time out, holding the Athletics to two earned runs on four hits and three walks over 7.0 innings of work. He earned the win, and San Fran moved to 13-10 in his starts this year.
Webb owns a 3.01 ERA at home this season with 64 punchouts over 71.2 innings pitched. Considering he’s in pretty good form right now, I think he’ll have no issues mowing down this lowly Pittsburgh offense. The Pirates are currently ranked 29th in team batting average (.220) and 28th in OPS (.653). Meanwhile, the Giants aren’t much better as they come in at 24th (.235) and 13th (.713) in those respective categories. I’ll take a flier on Tyler Beede to keep a clean first inning and build off of his scoreless outing against Arizona last time out.
Bet: Pirates at Giants NRFI (-125 via DraftKings)
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